People do what people see
Recently I read an article in Enjoying Everyday Life magazine called “People Do What People See” by Dr. John Maxwell, and it really spoke to me. As parents, people often say to their children, “Do as I say, not as I do,” but it also happens in the workplace. A manager may demand respect from his/her employees but show none in return. Or, he may treat them well during a meeting with upper management, but disrespect them in day to day work. An employee at any level can appear to be nearly perfect to upper levels and outside contacts, but can be rude to his underlings. Then there’s also gossip, sabotage, lies, etc. I think a person should strive to maintain personal integrity regardless of position in the company and treat everyone with respect, even if they feel that the recipient is not deserving of it. This is especially important for management and upper management because the higher up you are the more chance you have to make a difference and the more people notice what you say and do. Dr. Maxwell writes that “People Do What People See”, if done right, can be a very strong motivational, training, mentoring, and values principle. If you want to motivate your staff to learn, take a course or learn from a textbook yourself. If you are mentoring someone, open up your life and let them see how you handle the situations. It would be beneficial for you also because you’ll have to do the right thing. Dr. Maxwell writes that “a company might spend a great deal of time formulating impressive-sounding values statements and core beliefs, but these principles don’t mean anything unless the leaders in the company – from the corner office on down – model them consistently.” He also includes a quote from Paul O’Neil, who is a retired Alcoa chairman and former secretary of Treasury: “If people can find even trivial examples of deviation, those deviations will become the norm. You really have to be almost religious in making sure that you don’t do something someone can point to in a negative way.”
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